Artwork
Portrait of Machteld Bas ( - 1681)
Portrait of Machteld Bas ( - 1681) is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Unknown. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The work is an oil painting titled *Portrait of Machteld Bas*, dated to the late seventeenth century (circa 1681).
About this work
Overview
The work is an oil painting titled *Portrait of Machteld Bas*, dated to the late seventeenth century (circa 1681). It depicts a seated woman against a muted landscape, rendered with a restrained palette of black, white, and gold accents. The composition centers on the sitter’s face and hands, which are illuminated by a subtle chiaroscuro that gives the figure a three‑dimensional presence.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is identified as Machteld Bas, presented in a black dress with a white lace collar and cuffs, a gold belt, and a decorative brooch. She holds a fan in her right hand and looks directly at the viewer with a calm, neutral expression, suggesting a dignified self‑presentation typical of portraiture intended to convey status and composure.
Technique & Style
The artist employs chiaroscuro, contrasting bright highlights on the face, hands, and accessories with deeper shadows on the dress and background. This handling of light creates a sense of volume and texture, particularly in the lace detailing and the sheen of the gold belt. The brushwork is smooth in the skin tones, while the landscape behind her is rendered with looser, atmospheric strokes.
Context
Portraits of this period often combined a modest interior setting with a distant landscape to situate the sitter within a broader, sometimes allegorical, environment. The attire and hairstyle—a neatly cut bob and refined dress—reflect contemporary Dutch fashions of the late 1600s, indicating the subject’s social standing and the painter’s awareness of current trends.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
